A guitar is a tool, not an artistic statement.

Think of it as a paint brush for music. Would you spend $3,000 for a paint brush? (You would? Stay there - I have some nice ones in the basement.) No. Do you think Rembrant used extravagantly expensive brushes? No. Buy a tool that does the job. There's a price point for any product, past which where you're not buying extra quality; you're spending money to show you can spend money. If you want a status symbol, buy a Rolls Royce. (Qualifier: a guitar can be an artistic statement, but its value as an object d'art is unrelated to its value as a tool.)

It's not going to be flawless, no matter how much you spend.

$3,000 guitars are still made (at least partly) by humans. Some of them are craftsmen, some of them are just putting in their eight hours, and some of them drink. I've seen $400 Ibanez's with perfect finishes, and Les Pauls that looked like the guy buffing it out just got tired & threw it in the case. You don't always get what you pay for. Sometimes the gods smile... but sometimes, they out-and-out laugh.

No guitar plays perfectly in tune with itself. Period.  (See the Intonation section)

Expect a few buzzes & rattles.

These are metal strings on metal frets. Think about it. Especially if you're using .009's tuned down a step.

"My action's too high!"

The guitar's not supposed to play itself. That's what you're for. If you want something easy to play, buy an autoharp and a drum machine.

In short, if your guitar is playable, if it produces a signal, if it doesn't weigh 40 pounds - that's about all you can realistically expect. Playing guitar is not easy, Big Note songbook or no Big Note songbook. Expect a little aggravation once in a while. But there's light at the end of the tunnel: in a few more years, DJs and sequencers will be "playing" all the jobs, and you can retire.